Unlike a typical syllabus, Each
class contains 10 to 25 chapters with interactive
activities, with each chapter taking around 12 minutes of time.
These aren't just click a button quizzes passing as activities,
either.

In James Patterson's writing course, students edit the first
draft of one of his novels and compare it to the final one. In
Serena William's course, students can upload photos of their
swings and have other students give them feedback.

For Christina Aguilera's course, the company built a range finder
that works by tapping into a computer's microphone and measuring
an artist's vocal range. Aguilera dedicates a whole chapter on
improving it, so students can keep using the tool as they go,
Rasmussen said.

The courses are designed to not feel like a classroom lecture,
but more like a workshop that you would normally pay to attend
from a star anyways.

Rasmussen and Rogier reject the workshop comparison a little bit,
since it's not a one-time deal. Compared to a workshop that might
last a few hours or days, the MasterClass materials are yours to
re-watch, re-work, and continue learning from even after you
finish, the founders say.

Each class costs $90, so it's pricier than many of the free
classes offered online. The startup also makes no pretenses
that the celebrities it works with are the ones who are editing
assignments or watching the acting videos. Instead, Rasmussen and
Rogier have seen MasterClass students latch onto the peer review
process — a Dustin Hoffman's MasterClass acting fan club has
already sprung up in LA for instance.

The company does split the revenue with the master instructing
the class, but it's largely a labor of love and a passion to
teach what they've learned that motivates its lecturers, Rogier
says. Since each class takes weeks, if not months, to
produce, the company has raised more money to help accelerate its
pipeline and bring more masters on board.

MasterClass plans to announce Tuesday a new $15 million round of
funding led by New Enterprise Associates (NEA). The new cash
brings the total raisedfor the online learning
company to $21.4 million in less than a year.